RUNNING: Runners compete in 50th annual JFK 50 Mile

The 50th annual John F. Kennedy 50 Mile Run was held Saturday as nearly 1,000 runners finished one of the most prestigious, and oldest, ultra marathons in the world.

BOONSBORO, Md. — The 50th annual John F. Kennedy 50 Mile Run was held Saturday as nearly 1,000 runners finished one of the most prestigious, and oldest, ultra marathons in the world.According to the JFK 50 Mile website, the concept of the 50 mile event was inspired by John F. Kennedy’s belief in Theodore Roosevelt’s “assertion, that to remain commissioned, military officers should be able to travel 50 miles, on foot, in less than 20 hours.” It led to the first event in 1963.Area runners have a distinct advantage in participating, living so close to the Washington County, Md. annual event, which starts in Boonsboro and ends in Williamsport. Runners from as far away as British Columbia and Washington State traveled to take part in the race as well as other states near and far, including many members of the U.S. military.Max King, 32, of Bend, Ore. was the overall top finisher with a time of 5 hours, 34 minutes, 58 seconds. Ellie Greenwood, 33, of North Vancouver, B.C. was the top female finisher with a time of 6:11:59.Winners of respective age groups (male and female) were:Male19-under: John Clark, 19, Notre Dame, Ind., 7:41:04.40-49: Paul Scouten, Black Mountain, N.C., 6:46:19.50-59: Dennis Wallech, Chanaasen, Minn., 7:14:56.60-69: Michael Campbell, Manassas, Va., 8:43:04.70-70: Ed Ayres, Green Valley, Calif., 11:21:31.Female19-under: MacKenzie Riford, Hagerstown, Md., 11:31:01.49-49: Beverley Anderson-Abbs, Red Bluff, Calif., 7:14:31.50-59: Gay Renouf, Regina, S.A., 9:33:53.60-60: Debbie Trainer, Henrico, Va., 9:26.27.Numerous runners from the Waynesboro area also tested the limits of their endurance in the race, which stretches for miles along the C&O Canal and through mountaineous terrain before leveling out towards the end.Rick Meyers, 46, of Fayetteville, was finished 33rd in his age group and completed the 50 miles in 8:25:01. He was 131st overall.Angie Fuss, 34, of Mont Alto, finished in 11:33:54. Fuss, who teaches at Waynesboro Area Middle School, also competed last year.“Most people wouuld probably say we are a rare breed,” Fuss said before the 2011 event. “My friends often throw around the word ‘crazy’ when describing my running lifestyle. Runners get a self-satisfaction from the pain and pleasure that is hard to explain. Whether you’re running a 5K or a 100 miler, the blood, sweat and tears you put into your training and racing is something you can’t really describe in words. You just have to experience it to understand.”A breakdown of runners in the Waynesboro area, according to finish:Waynesboro—Terry Sebold, 49, 13:32:45.Greencastle—Jerry Mason, 56, 8:59:04; Eric Pittman, 46, 9:08:37; Jim Becker, 70, 11:36:03; Laszlo Madaras, 51, 12:58:42.Mercersburg—Vicki Ellis, 42, 12:16:31.Chambersburg—Thomas Gift, 28, 10:30:42; Ralph Pisle, 38, 11:06:36; Chris Pereschuk, 32, 11:09:03; Abbi Crowe, 31, 11:48:02; Brenda Miller, 49, 11:50:58; Nikola Grafnetterova, 24, 11:50:58; James Whitelock, 60, 13:19:08.Fayetteville—Jamie Boward, 35, 10:13:53; James Hall, 48, 10:20:09; Monique Weaver, 42, 10:25:25.Hagerstown, Md.—Brian Kane, 45, 8:57:23; Thomas Louderback, 24, 9:46:07; Mike Connor, 58, 9:50:38; Sam Seibert, 60, 10:27:06; Matthew Seifarth, 30, 10:44:00; Daniel Burger, 29, 10:44:19; John Stoup, 47, 10:49:57; Kay Kantner-Goodwin, 1:02:58; Brittany Churchey, 11:19:03; Teresa Dumpe, 50, 11:58:50; Dale Rhoderick, 52, 12:07:56; Pamela Clemmer, 43, 12:35:39; Paul Betker, 67, 12:24:11; Christian Grosh, 18, 12:51:21; Luke Dubois, 25, 13:19:28; Shaunte Taswell, 34, 13:51:22; Maria Rubeling, 46, 13:31:01; James Riford, 16, 13:31:01.Smitshburg, Md.—Ron Keplinger, 42, 11:33:54; Scott Horning, 43, 13:40:59.

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